Share something about yourself

I’m from Islamabad, Pakistan. I come from a very artistic family that incorporates a lot of creativity into everything it does, which is really inspiring for me as an artist. My hobbies are my work, writing songs for my band “Through Tonight” and playing guitar, and relaxing & staying positive.

I am primarily a singer/songwriter. I am also an art director specializing in Photography and Graphic Design, a humanitarian volunteer, usability analyst and an MMA fighter. Recently my Photographic work was featured with an “Honorable Mention” in the Industrial Architecture and Still Life Fine Arts categories of the prestigious International Photography Awards of 2015. My newest venture is to highlight the pure minimalistic art of Photographers from around the world via my new platform “AQ x PH” (@aqxph) on Instagram, where I and other curators feature Photographs that are simply unique, and resonate in great degree.

As a Usability Analyst I have worked for companies like Google, Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft, Apple, GoDaddy, HomeDepot, WWE, Toyota, Honda, Ford, Gillette, BestBuy, Amazon, and the US Army, just to name a few. I helped these companies develop strong products by analyzing their websites and app UI’s.

I am a proud Volunteer of Youth Parliament of Pakistan, and I have worked for the Orphans of the devastating earthquake that struck Pakistan in late 2005 with an organization called Kashmir Orphans Relief Trust. I am also a part of the British Council, through which I did a student exchange program in 2008.

I ran a successful and award-winning relief campaign through the British Council by putting on concerts for the orphans from 2006 to 2010.

I am currently working with the British Council on numerous projects including ones for clean water, environmental development, education enhancement and animal abuse awareness.

What was your first Coursera course, how did you find out about it and why did you decide to take it?

My first Coursera course was Cameras, Exposure, and Photography from the specialization Photography Basics and Beyond: From Smartphone to DSLR by Michigan State University. I found about this course via a Facebook ad, and since I was already an amateur photographer, I decided it’s time to improve myself and actually excel my skills as a photographer. I also wanted to understand the fundamentals of professional photographical techniques that will polish my knowledge of the principles of this form of art.

What’s your favorite Coursera course and why?

These courses have helped me a lot in terms of my relationship with the camera, and how to actually use the controls appropriately in respect to the subject.

At this point, I can say with complete certainty that I’ve actually come a long way as a Photographer from where I first started out.

How did you decide to become a Mentor?

After completing several courses from my specialization I received an invitation from Coursera to become a Mentor for my course by completing the Coursera Mentor Community and Training Course.

I was personally very happy to have received this invitation because right from the start I really loved the Coursera platform, and I saw a great opportunity to help my fellow learners around the world, and that’s how I ended up becoming a Mentor.

Is there anything else you think the Coursera community would be interested to know about?

I actually knew about Coursera prior to my enrollment in Photography Basics and Beyond: From Smartphone to DSLR specialization. In 2015, I conducted a Usability Test for Coursera.org to improve their website UI and to improve their website navigation. It was a great experience for me, and I was quite happy to have discovered Coursera.